How is mesothelioma diagnosed?

How is mesothelioma diagnosed?

Roy Artal (Pulmonologist and Critical Care Physician) gives expert video advice on: How is mesothelioma diagnosed?; How is mesothelioma treated? and more...

Mesothelioma is diagnosed first and foremost on the basis of an appropriate clinical history. Mesothelioma is a very rare diagnosis in the absence of asbestos exposure, although it does occasionally come up in individuals where we're never able to document prior exposure to asbestos. The vast majority of people worked in an industry where there was significant asbestos exposure, so that's going to be the first point. The second point is appropriate findings on physical examination and on chest imaging, which could include a chest x-ray and a CAT scan of the chest. Finally, some sort of a biopsy of the affected portion of the lung is needed to document the presence of this malignancy.